Spoiler: Ambiance It was easy to get onto a schedule, and easier still to diverge and go down ninety-two paths, and then wonder where all the time went at two in the morning when the city was asleep. Maria’s closely-held scheduling began at six thirty, give or take. And the longest shifts were the ones unpaid; often, one thirty meant the ending and some well-deserved sleep for the single mother with work galore. Six thirty. Dress, make breakfast for the girls. Seven, wake the girls for the beginning of their day. Seven thirty, making sure each one is dressed and fed (and hadn’t just dumped their breakfast where the dog would get to it, never mind that the dogs were just ghosts). Eight, off to P̶a̶p̶a̶ ̶A̶s̶k̶a̶r̶i̶'̶s̶ Auntie Charlie's to watch the girls. And after that, well-.. The inn that gave her smiles but also ran her ragged, the Cistern- the real question there being not if she would go to a Cistern, but which. There were too many things on this schedule, too many thoughts pouring out of the redhead's tired mind and into the mug of Kaffee she had been holding in her grasp. She let the thoughts trail away, watching the cream slowly ooze and swirl within the steaming liquid before embracing its scent with tired eyes and gently lifting the mug to the edge of her lips. Oh how- "Mah!" Simply..- "Ma-ma!" Peaceful.. "Mah-MAH!" With a tired sigh, she rubbed at her temples, gently setting down the mug at the counter's surface. Though some of the tension leaked from her shoulders as she caught sight of a certain short-haired carpenter holding her beloved rag-tag toddler in her arms, who wasn’t bleeding or crying, thankfully. Instead, she held a thumb in her mouth, outfitted in the usual pretty lace nightgown that she had gotten for Winter's Tide morning in all technicality, but was allowed to sleep in the night before. A warm smile grew over Charlotte's face, a quiet chuckle sounded from her throat as she spoke in a hushed tone as she gently rocked the toddler on her hip. "Someone's wantin’ t’ see ya reaaaaal early this mornin', Maria. Woke me up pullin’ at the covers and screamin’- I mean, I ain’t meant screamin’," she corrects gently as the four-year-old raises her voice in protest, “Askin’ me real nice-like t’ take her t’ Mommy.” Rubbing at the bags under her eyes, Maria adjusted the tie around her robes. Taking a ginger step forward to gently take the toddler into her grasps as she passed off the mug of still-steaming Kaffee, Charlotte quickly taking a grateful sip. Her long nails gently grazed the toddler’s back, which the mother certainly knew she adored the comfort of. “Course she was. My doll? Ain’t hear her scream nothin’ in my life,” she hushed out sarcastically. __ Seven-oh-five. It had settled in the bunker that the Valnet’s had given their own homely scent to. Having been scared out of Petalcourt, they hadn’t really had a choice but to call a new house ‘home’. It was incredibly hard for the young ones to understand. In fact, a lot of it was hard to understand. Especially their own baby sister becoming restless and coming home with a missing appendage- even Maria couldn’t look at her poor baby the same after such a traumatic experience. Though, that didn’t matter. Not at seven-oh-five, no sir-ee. Negative thoughts found themselves in the swirl of the creamer poured into the young mother’s second Kaffee as she stared into the distance, completely and utterly zoning out from what the ditzy carpenter was going on about. “Heeeey, Maria? You alive in there? Got some thoughts knockin’ around for once?” Charlotte leaned way forward in her seat, almost too far to stay in it, looking over Maria with an expression that read concern despite her crooked smile. The goofy smile that Maria couldn’t help mirror, given the contagiousness. She adored it, really. Her brown hair and paler skin tone, the usual yellows and tans that she often wore, and last but not least, her bright attitude, all often reminded Maria of a sunflower. Her response was a simple “Pah.” as she waved her hand dismissively her way. Letting her thoughts wander elsewhere, she watched her dear old companion, the husky she’d had as a child, take his own well deserved break as he stretched across the carpet. Despite being translucent, the Will Spirit’s furry back rose up and down to simulate breath. He was cute when he pretended to be normal, really. The husky stayed asleep with its snout nestled among Maria’s slippers, and Ly had begun to snooze in her arms, leaking drool down her shoulder. Gross, but adorable nonetheless. “Yeah, Lottie. I’m jus’ thinkin’ a wee bit. Nothin’ much to worry bout. On-.. a more important topic. Y’okay to watch th’girls for a lil bit today?” Charlotte furrowed her brows lightly, inhaling and giving a deep sigh, the hesitance clear over her features. “I can for a little. But y’know I oughta get back t’ my shop sometime today. Your gals is cute an’ I love ‘em t’ bits an’ pieces, but I ain’t wantin’ them to get caught on nails an’ all while I work. Got a lotta work comin’ in since Lady Grace asked me int’ the Gallovian Court.” “I know, I know. I’m sure Mavi n’Belle can take care of Ly on their own-. I just ain’t like ‘em home alone.. Especially after the incident.. I really gotta find a more reliable babysitter. Especially with Nebi in th’picture now.” “Well, uh. I figure one’ll come in time, Maria. Don’ worry on that, y’hear? You can always ask Alice or DJ real nice, they like kids.” A low sigh escaped Maria’s lips. She couldn’t tell Lottie no, her sunshine filled smile made it so hard to show even the slightest bit of hesitation. But what was she supposed to feel in a situation like this? It was insanely difficult to feel right about even tolerating people believed to be the cause of circumstantial betrayal. What would Wesely think? Why would she trust them in the first place? Well, she knew that. For Lottie’s sake, of course. But it was becoming more than just Lottie’s sake. With the recent passing conversation between either side. The neutrality she had decided upon tugged at her heartstrings the more she tried. Making everybody think she hated each individual equally certainly hadn’t worked anymore. Leaving pieces of a jigsaw puzzle out of the picture didn’t seem reasonable. But having to see them in separate groups and constantly going against each other when trying to fit together in the same place grew tiresome. Especially when the picture was just there a second ago-.. And maybe if we tried that piece? Or maybe if we turned this here? Only to find it unsolvable despite what the store clerk advertised. Every face seemed to tell a different story, every side seemed to have its reasonings. And sticking to one never felt right, but being tugged in the middle hurt even worse. With the visualization of inner struggles hidden within a tangent aside, Maria couldn’t bring herself to tell Charlotte that her battlefield anxiety had yet to leave. For while she slowly met the wandering souls of Hangroad who dared betrayed the trio she declared as soul bound in the form of strangers, she grew to trust. But with trust came hesitance and the rewind of everything closing circle. It repeated in her mind often. Much like these analogies. But with these thoughts, came the dead stare kept on the remaining grains of Kaffee left at the bottom of her now dirtied mug. Had she really been lost in thought for that long? “Ma /ma/!” Eight o’clock. A sloppy kiss on the cheek from a now fully awaken bouncy baby girl, hanging from the grip of a certain sunflower radiant, short-haired carpenter. “Say ‘Goodbye Mama!’” she joyfully encouraged. Anabelle stood at the doormat, slipping on her black Mary-Jane flats with Mavis excitedly taking just behind her, after swooping around the corner in her usual mess of overalls. With the continued morning chaos ensuing, followed by much more alive family pet’s nails clicking against the wood flooring, Maria stayed in her zoned out state. Nothing but the water muffled sound of giggles and goodbyes in her moment of dissociation. She didn’t take much note of the happenings around her, doing the usual kiss on the cheek and “See you tonight.” Before daylight poured into the dark living area as the door took open. Allowing the noise of the bustling trio of youth and their bubbly caretaker to escape out into the outside world before leaving the ginger left to darkness once more as the door shut. Eight-thirty. That was the last number on the clock she remembered reading through her circle of thoughts that spiraled like a record through her mind. But before sleep could consume her once more and relieve her of her racing thoughts, a familiar nose tap from her companion pup beneath the couch gently nudged at her hand. Bringing her back to that peaceful sunlight-free living room with the reminiscent smell of spruce wood in the air. The backhand over her forehead rotated to string her fingers through her hair as she opened her eyes once more. If anything were to interrupt her schedule, thought certainly wouldn’t be the cause. Eight forty. Rising up from the couch, much to her distaste, and brushing back the Soul Companion’s fur in thanks for the returned motivation. Tying that same apron around her waist as she did every morning, as well as her distinctive fiery locks into a braid over her shoulder. As fast and as skilfully compared to a black widow weaving silk. Comparing that merely put a sad smile over her features, they were quite alike, weren’t they? Nevertheless. She planned to complete that schedule, and return back to its pinpoint where it started every morning. With the vanishing trail of her Will Spirit and the final checks in the mirror at the door, the living area was left empty with the blinds drawn. Until it was to start again at six thirty.
